Safewalking

The Mt. Lebanon School District is a walking school district. Student safe walking awareness is reviewed annually with the assistance of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department (MLPD). In addition to reinforcing safe walking rules with students at the beginning of the school year, the MLPD has established Safe Walking Routes for each elementary school. Please review these routes with your child throughout the school year.

Safe Walking Routes

The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, along with the Mt. Lebanon Police Department and Juvenile Protection has formulated the following walking routes. These routes are recommended safe walking routes according to pedestrian and vehicle laws of the Commonwealth of PA. The walking routes are all encompassing not simply for routes to each elementary school. They were designed to be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These routes will show the safest area to walk on the street as well as the safest place to cross every street and crossing guard locations. The routes will take you to a signalized intersection with a stop sign or traffic signal making it easier to cross.

For students in elementary school, locate your school map and find your address. You may then follow the blue arrows to the school. The reverse would be done for walking home. For students in middle and high school, locate the elementary school map where you live and follow that towards your school and onto the next elementary school map where the middle or high school is located.

Because the maps are all encompassing for safety, all walking routes will follow a street or sidewalk. Pathways and cut through stairs have been eliminated as safe walking routes.

In the event a student is approached by someone when walking, they should do the following:

Do not approach the car

Immediately run to a safe place

Inform parent or adult of the incident

Contact the police

Try to give a good description of the individual and the vehicle

In addition, the MLPD also recommends suggestions from Safety Kids, Inc.:

Safety Kids, Inc. says, “Teach your child safety tips in small, repeated, positive doses. Avoid using the word stranger! Children think they know people more than they actually do, and the term stranger is ineffective. Most children are molested, abused, abducted, or exploited by someone they know. Remind your child always to CHECK FIRST before going anywhere with anyone!”